The game will be played on Sept. 5, 2015, and comes on the heels of the Crimson Tide dominating Michigan in the 2012 opener.

"As a league we decided that we needed to upgrade our non-conference schedule," UW Athletic Director Barry Alvarez said in a statement. "We understand that strength of schedule will be a factor in determining which teams earn the right to participate in the new four-team playoff system and we want to be in that mix. There's no better way to do that than by playing the defending national champions.

"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to play a storied program like Alabama in a terrific venue like Cowboys Stadium. It will be a great experience for our program, our players and our fans."

The program met in 1928 at Camp Randall Stadium, a 15-0 Wisconsin win that stands as the only game between the two storied teams.

Wisconsin has not played a Southeastern Conference opponent since 2007 and hasn't opened against an SEC team in more than four decades.